One Life to Live Commentary

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I didn't like it, so sue me: The worst of OLTL 2013:
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Natalie kissed Seth, but he pushed her away. They went into the library, and Jessica eavesdropped on their conversation from the foyer. Seth still felt very bad about the way he'd hurt Jessica. Natalie reminded him that he hadn't felt that way when they had been together in the garden shed with Jessica out in the rain, looking for them, or when Jessica had almost caught them together in Seth's apartment. Seth insisted that he had felt bad about it, and what Natalie and Allison had done was just evil.

Seth turned to leave, spotted Jessica, and called for her to wait. Natalie said that Jessica didn't want to talk to him. Jessica told Natalie not to speak for her and agreed to talk to Seth for five minutes. He gave her red roses and told her how sorry he was about her grandfather's death. "That's my grandfather," Natalie interjected.

Jessica turned on Natalie and said that he would never be her grandfather; it was Jessica that had memories of spending time with Asa when she'd been a child, and when she went to his funeral the next day, she would be surrounded by friends and family that loved her. She said that Natalie would never have that. Jessica told Seth that she could never trust him again and asked him to leave. Natalie vowed to herself that Jessica would never have Seth and that she would get the love that Jessica had.

Chad approached Al at the student union and started asking questions about Jen. Since Cristian was out of the picture, Chad was interested in getting to know her better, especially after seeing her half-dressed on Cristian's website. Al pushed Chad up against the vending machine and ordered him to stay away from Jen. Al insisted that he and Jen were just friends, but Chad figured out from his reaction that there was more between them. Jen was still hung up on Cristian, Chad warned, and Al would only get hurt if he wanted a serious relationship, and no woman was worth that much grief.

Jen and Lindsay were talking about Jen sleeping with Al and how Jen shouldn't let her breakup with Cristian affect her self-esteem. "At least you were taking birth control pills," Lindsay said. Jen turned her back on her mother with a worried look on her face and recalled throwing away her pills. At least Al was from a good family, Lindsay continued, apparently approving of the relationship. "Why, because he's rich?" Jen asked, mentioning that Asa was dead.

Lindsay was stunned. She'd had no idea Asa was dead. Al went over to rescue Jen from Lindsay, who was trying to insist on going to New York with Jen for her modeling shoot. Lindsay left, and Al asked Jen if she was excited to be going to New York for the modeling or because she might get to see Cristian again.

Antonio explained to Keri that the Valentine's Day card had been from his ex-wife, Andy. He had been planning to tell her about his divorce, but the time had never been right. Keri asked if the fact he had kept the card meant that he still had feelings for Andy. "No, I don't," Antonio said, ripping up the card and throwing it away. Keri admitted to Antonio that she had gone to town, searching for her father. She had never imagined that when she'd found him, he would want nothing to do with her.

Antonio told Keri how he had been devastated when his father had died, but he'd had good friends that were like mentors to him, like Bo, Nora, and Hank. Keri was surprised to hear how much Antonio admired Hank and kept quiet about her possible relationship to him. She then had to leave to get back to class. Antonio assured her he'd get his paper done as quickly as possible.

Hank told Rae that Keri's mother never wanted Keri to know the truth about who her father was. Rae was trying to convince Hank to tell her more when R.J. arrived. Hank asked what he was doing there, and R.J. replied he was there to see Keri Reynolds. "What do you want with Keri?" Hank demanded to know then warned R.J. to stay away from her. But Hank's strong reaction just increased R.J.'s curiosity. He left more determined than ever to get to know Keri. Rae figured out that R.J. was really Keri's father. Hank swore her to secrecy, R.J. could never know the truth about Keri.

Todd asked to talk to Blair alone, and Sam convinced Starr to leave the room with him. Andrew left after speaking with Sam, saying perhaps it was all for the best. It was not all for the best, Starr told Sam -- Blair was going to tell Todd the truth and ruin everything. Sam realized that Starr knew the truth about the baby being Todd's.

Back in the living room, Todd was angry and confused. They'd finally admitted they cared about each other and were very close to getting married. He wondered if Blair was trying to get revenge for what had happened at their last wedding. No, that wasn't it, she insisted. She had to tell Todd something about the baby. It took a while, but in the end, Blair finally blurted out the truth -- "The baby was yours, Todd. You were his father."

After Blair told Todd she could not go through with the wedding, he asked why. She finally told Todd that the baby had been his -- that it had been their baby and that she was sorry. Todd told her there was nothing to be sorry about. Blair told Todd that the baby had died because she hadn't told him the truth about his being the father and had gone to Mexico to have the baby. She insisted that it was her fault the baby had died. Todd still would not believe the baby was his.

Outside in the hall, Starr told Sam to go inside where Todd and Blair were talking. Sam told Starr that he was not sure how Todd was going to take the news that the baby was his -- he might do something stupid. Sam told Starr that whatever happened, he would be there for Todd and would help him through it. Starr told Sam that he didn't get it -- that when Todd knew the truth, when Blair told him that the baby that had died and gone to heaven was his, no one would be able to help him.

Back in the room, Todd still didn't believe the baby was his -- he felt that it belonged to Max. Blair told Todd that the baby did not belong to Max, and when Todd accused Blair of being in love with Max, Blair told him she had never been in love with Max, only him. Blair told him that the baby had been conceived in the one night they'd spent together. She'd only known it was his when the doctors had told her how far along she'd been.

Blair asked Todd if he hadn't been able to look into the baby's eyes and feel it in his arms, how small it had been -- that it had been his baby.

Starr and Sam went into the room where Todd and Blair were, and Starr told Todd about the collage and the letter that Blair had written him -- Todd asked her what it had said, and Starr said, "It is your baby, Todd." Todd also found out that Sam had known the truth all along, and Todd told Sam he was supposed to be on Todd's side. Blair sent Sam and Starr out of the room, and when Todd asked her who else knew the baby was his, Blair told him Sam, Starr, her mother, Kelly, and Max had also known. Todd remembered events that would have let him know that the baby was his. When he was finally convinced, he yelled at Blair, "Do you know what you made me do?"

Al asked if Jen was getting cold feet about going to New York, and Jen said no. Al asked if she hoped to see Cristian, and Jen replied that she had no interest in seeing Cristian -- New York was a big place, and there was no chance of running into him. Jen said that Cristian would be sorry he'd dumped her when he saw her on a magazine or billboard. Al further believed that the trip was about her continued interest in Cristian.

A friend walked up and asked Al if he needed someone to go to Asa's funeral with him, and he said he didn't. Afterward, Jen offered to cancel her New York trip to go with Al to the funeral, and Al told her it was not necessary.

Antonio called Cristian in New York and told him that they had stopped having the undercover cop trail Jen -- they had reason to believe the stalker has given up. Cristian got upset with the news, and Antonio told him not to worry. He said that while Cristian was in New York, she was safe. Cristian told Antonio the important thing was Jen's safety. Cristian told Antonio that he still loved Jen but that he needed to get on with his life, get a job, and make some money.

From her home, Nora called Troy and told him that Sam was running late for their celebratory dinner at the Palace and would meet them later. Troy told Nora he planned to go on to the Palace for a drink anyway, so he would pick her up at her house, and they could meet Sam at the Palace. Troy mentioned to Nora that a new article in a medical journal suggested that chances were getting better of patients regaining their lost memories. Nora again assured Troy that she was not interested in getting her memory back; she wanted a future with Sam and Matthew.

Matthew took Nora a picture he'd made for Sam and asked where Sam was -- Nora replied he was at a wedding. Matthew asked Nora if she and Sam were going to get married. Nora told Matthew that if they got married, it would be because she and Sam wanted to, not because Matthew wanted them to. Nora told Matthew that she and Sam cared for each other and that they both loved Matthew very much.

Nora told Matthew that after the dinner with Dr. Troy that evening, she and Sam were going to sit down and figure out things between the two of them. Matthew asked, "What things?" and Nora said, "Grownup things, and not for you to worry about." She said she and Sam would talk about the future, and Matthew asked what would happen when they decided. Keri walked in to say she would like to know the answer to that too. Nora sends Matthew upstairs.

Keri said that Nora was going out with two eligible bachelors -- one a lawyer and one a doctor -- and that she wanted Nora's life. Keri then asked a surprised Nora who she was dressed up for, Troy or Sam. Nora and Keri had a conversation about Nora's possible future with Sam, and Nora told Keri she was dressed up for Sam. She also said that she wanted to have a whole night with Sam -- the first in a very long time. Then Nora asked Keri about her date with Antonio. Keri told her Antonio was a terrific dancer, and she hoped to see him again. Keri told Nora to have her evening with Sam, and Keri would stay the night with Matthew.

Lindsay went over because Troy had called with a "life and death matter." Lindsay told Troy to button his shirt because she couldn't think then asked what the life and death matter was. Lindsay said, "Oh, no, this is about Nora, isn't it?" Troy told her that it was not about Nora -- Nora and Sam were planning a future together. When Lindsay seemed upset, Troy told her she was in love with Sam.

Troy then proceeded to tell Lindsay he wanted to apologize to her for accusing her of causing Nora to lose her memory. He said that he had called her over to ask her if she would help him with a fundraiser at the hospital, using her gallery. Lindsay said okay and for Troy to call her with the details. He told her he could give them to her right then, and she said she had to go and have a meeting at the Palace with a client. Troy could call her later with the details.

Lindsay arrived at the Palace Hotel for her meeting with a client. Renee told Lindsay that she could leave if she didn't want to stay because the client was not there. Renee also told Lindsay that she was a lonely woman and that no one liked her. Lindsay then had flashbacks of Nora asking her in the courtroom if she could name anyone in town that would vouch for her or that liked her, and Lindsay had said no. She also remembered conversations with Jen -- Jen had told her on more than one occasion that she wanted to have nothing more to do with her, and she remembered Sam kicking her out in the rain when she'd ruined Jen's relationship with Cristian. Renee then told Lindsay that the client had called to say she was running late.

Lindsay called Sam on the cell phone and left him a desperate message that she needed him and needed to talk to him about Jen. She looked up, and Sam had entered the Palace. Lindsay did not know he was there to meet Nora and Troy.

In New York, Cristian found an ad in the newspaper about a photographer job with a modeling agency, not knowing it was the agency Jen was going to for her photo shoot.

"Do you know what you made me do?" Todd asked, losing it after Blair told him the baby had been his, and he admitted to letting the baby go. About all he could keep on muttering was "thought it was Max's." Blair misunderstood and told him not to blame himself for the baby's death; he hadn't done anything wrong. Todd was disbelieving and in shock, and he disagreed. Blair promised to make it up to him and said she would prove that she loved him and only wanted their family. She begged for another chance, but Todd stormed out, telling her that nothing was right.

Jen went to the modeling agency in New York City, while at the same time Cristian called for a job interview for a photographer's assistant. He gave the name of Mark Lindsay and agreed to go in. Once Jen was ushered into another room to fill out papers, Cristian arrived for his interview. Peg, the woman at the agency, checked in on Jen and verified that she was not involved with anyone, as she needed her full concentration for the job. Jen assured her that she was not.

In the other room, Cristian got the job and said he had no need to see the new model's picture; he'd meet her in the morning. Jen was on her way out of the inner room but dropped something. By the time she recovered and was out, Cristian was just going out the front door.

Troy arrived to take Nora to dinner and handed her some papers. He'd done more research and had learned she had a better chance of regaining her memory than they'd thought. Nora told him she was satisfied with her life as it was and was not interested.

As Sam entered the Palace, Lindsay approached him and told him she wanted to stop him from making a mistake. Sam informed her that he already knew about Jen going to New York City, but he realized that Lindsay really wanted to annoy him about Nora. She reminded him of his previous almost wedding and how Nora had hurt him. Sam wanted her to take off and leave him alone.

When Troy and Nora showed up to meet Sam for their special celebration dinner, Lindsay was irritated that Troy hadn't informed her of his plans earlier. She hated seeing Nora and Sam together. During that time, Sam and Nora had been seated, and Sam was ecstatic over how beautiful Nora looked. He told her he loved her. When Troy joined them, Nora decided to look for Renee so that she could extend her sympathies about Asa. Troy looked over at a nearby Lindsay, but Sam told him not to be concerned, as she wouldn't be causing any more trouble.

As Nora headed for the ladies' room, Lindsay accosted her and said she owed Lindsay big time for Lindsay having saved her life in another ladies' room in the past, and she would collect from her that very night. Lindsay accused Nora of alienating Sam from his "old family" and forcing Will and Jen to leave town because of her selfishness. Nora in turn told Lindsay that they'd left due to her smothering. Lindsay inquired about the status of Nora and Sam's relationship, and Nora assured her they were getting closer -- and perhaps Lindsay could catch the bouquet at their wedding. Lindsay told Nora that she could run but not from what she had done to her.

As Troy and Sam waited for Nora's return to the table, they could hardly believe that they were actually having dinner together. They agreed to forget the past. Renee wandered by, and she told Sam how much Asa had really respected him. They invited her for a drink, but she was too distraught and would rather work. The men wondered what might have happened to Nora.

Lindsay recovered and said she had only been referring to her saving her life. She began to taunt Nora, rubbing in how she had all of her own memories, including when she had fallen in love with Sam and when she'd had his children. She accused Nora of hurting Sam. As Nora became more upset and as the taunting became louder, Sam and Troy burst in. Sam removed his ex-wife from the room, demanding to know what she had said. Nora would only break his heart again, Lindsay snarled, while Troy calmed Nora down. She had decided to go for the memory recovery treatment, she told him.

Max stopped by the Buchanan mansion to pick up some papers and encountered Gabrielle with an urn; she'd had Asa cremated to hide any evidence that might appear. Bo happened to stop by at the same time, and Max slipped out to be out of sight but close enough to listen. Gabrielle cried about how much she missed Asa, but Bo wanted to know why he had been cremated. Gabrielle claimed she had followed Asa's wishes and tried to convince Bo that everyone should remember Asa as strong and handsome.

Bo didn't believe it as he had discussed that with his father in February when he'd had a heart attack, and Asa had made it clear that he'd wanted to be buried. An eavesdropping Max could hardly believe what she was saying either. Gabrielle wasn't familiar with any previous conversations, she told Bo, but she and Asa had discussed it many times, and he'd felt the immortal soul was more important than the body. They might have wanted to run more tests, the police commissioner stated.

Gabrielle wondered if they still suspected foul play. Bo told her he had evidence. He left. He stopped and called the medical examiner to make sure they had enough samples for tests. Gabrielle wanted to know why Max appeared so worried, but he thought everything had gone okay, he told her. Gabrielle apologized to Asa's ashes, but she just couldn't have more tests done.

Keith was on the phone, ordering someone to track down Cristian, while he'd do the rest. A short time later, he received a call. Apparently, there had been no success in locating Cristian. Maybe he'd just have to take Jen, he announced.

Bo sat with Renee at the Palace and informed her that Gabrielle had had Asa cremated. They both agreed that he never would have wanted that. Renee felt like a failure in enabling Asa to marry Gabrielle. Bo let her know about the extra body samples and tests being run so that no evidence would be destroyed.

Todd tracked down David Vickers and demanded he give the infant back. David insisted that he knew nothing about the child's whereabouts, but Todd appeared victorious when he heard a cry emanating from the next room.

Jen prepared for her first modeling session, and Cristian readied himself for his photographer's assistant gig at the agency. Jen and Cristian were shocked when they finally were face-to-face.

Gabrielle and Max remained on shaky ground as they tiptoed around the possible causes of Asa's death. Nigel admitted to Bo that he had seen Gabrielle fooling with Asa's medication, and Bo continued to investigate.

Ben struggled with conflicted feelings about Asa, and Viki worried about Jessica, who maintained that she needed to learn more about her biological family. Natalie went to Allison and spilled her upset about Seth. Natalie returned to Llanfair, and she decided to take a new course of action as she read Asa's obituary. At Asa's memorial service, many of his former wives were present.

Cristian was shocked to see Jen at the photo shoot and was even more so when she slapped him. Peg asked Jen if "Mark" was upsetting her, and she claimed that she hadn't met him. Confused, Peg said that Cristian was Mark. Jen claimed that Cristian was stalking her, but he responded that she was the one stalking. He told her to go back to Llanview, and she refused. Later, Jen and Peg talked, and Jen wondered if Cristian still loved her.

Todd was surprised to see that the baby he'd thought was his... wasn't even a boy. David tried to get out of his room, but Todd stopped him. After Todd threatened him with cops, David gave him the address of the baby's new home.

Natalie was dressed for a funeral. Allison arrived and told her that she would never be accepted as a Buchanan if she begged for attention. She had to demand it. Allison got to Natalie, and she changed her clothes.

Nora and Troy entered the funeral after agreeing that Lindsay couldn't win. During Asa's service, Alex, Delilah, Becky Lee, Pamela, Renee, Blair, Bo, Nora, Ben, and Jessica spoke. Starr cried for Asa and the baby. Natalie interrupted Jessica's speech to declare that Asa wasn't her grandfather. She took off her coat to reveal a red dress inappropriate for a funeral.